"Jobin" arrived at the Zoo on July 7, 2013 as a small newborn from the Myakka River near Port Charlotte, where he was found alone and malnourished weighing only 55 pounds. He is one of the youngest and smallest orphan calves to be cared for by the Zoo’s manatee rehab team. He is currently receiving bottle feedings by hospital staff and can sometimes be viewable swimming and socializing with older manatees in the large pools. Jobin will require 2-3 years of care at the Zoo before he can be released back into Florida waters.

At his last weigh-in, Jobin weighed about 315 pounds – more than five times his original weight! Occasionally he is a companion for some of the new patients in the hospital pools to encourage them to eat. He is on track with his weight and development and he will hopefully be able to reach his target weight of 600-700 pounds by winter of 2015, which is when he is planned on being released back into the wild. He can be seen in the display pools most days of the week.

You may not be aware that the Zoo relies on donations to help provide care for Jobin and the more than 340 manatee rehabilitation patients who are cared for by the David A. Straz Jr. Manatee Hospital at the Zoo each year. The Zoo’s facility is the only non-profit acute care facility in the world specifically dedicated to manatee rehabilitation, and one of just three contracted and federally permitted manatee rehabilitation facilities in the state of Florida.

On average, it costs approximately $300/ day to treat a manatee patient. No gift is too small. Please click here to make a gift to support our wildlife conservation efforts.